Looking for the engine identification number (Page 2/3)
LeoLeChat FEB 15, 03:19 AM
Our Administration just ask for an "engine number" without saying if they want the matching VIN or the casting number. They just want to know if it's a stock engine so I guess that casting number should be enough.

@PhatMax, looks like you need to remove some parts to get this number, doesn't it ?

I think that casting number is going to be enough but how can I find it ?

Thanks everyone

(edit, better answer)

[This message has been edited by LeoLeChat (edited 02-15-2022).]

reinhart FEB 15, 10:31 AM

quote
Originally posted by LeoLeChat:

Our Administration just ask for an "engine number" without saying if they want the matching VIN or the casting number. They just want to know if it's a stock engine so I guess that casting number should be enough.

@PhatMax, looks like you need to remove some parts to get this number, doesn't it ?

I think that casting number is going to be enough but how can I find it ?

Thanks everyone

(edit, better answer)



Just use the picture the he posted as your own. They all look the same and they would never know the difference.

Regarding a VIN on the engine, I've never seen one and I've spent 1000s of hours working on Fiero engines. LOL Not saying it isn't there somewhere, I've just never found a VIN there
PhatMax FEB 15, 03:47 PM
Yeah it wouldn’t be fun getting a camera in there. It’s right above the oil filter. I think the coolant crossover pipe plus a heat shield and possibly the ac comp is in the way..
Skybax FEB 15, 06:37 PM

quote
Originally posted by LeoLeChat:

Our Administration just ask for an "engine number" without saying if they want the matching VIN or the casting number. They just want to know if it's a stock engine so I guess that casting number should be enough.




That's good, so all you should need is a photo of the casting number and/or the GM 2.8 next to it.


quote
Originally posted by reinhart:

Just use the picture the he posted as your own. They all look the same and they would never know the difference.




That's called fraud, so I wouldn't recommend anyone doing that. My occupation is fraud investigating on vintage cars, trust me, you are better off doing it the right way to avoid having the car confiscated, in the U.S. or France or Other.


quote
Originally posted by reinhart:Regarding a VIN on the engine, I've never seen one and I've spent 1000s of hours working on Fiero engines. LOL Not saying it isn't there somewhere, I've just never found a VIN there



That is one of the hardest parts of my job, finding and verifying engine VIN on all makes/models over a 50 year time-span, but where things really get tricky is verifying the stamping is actually the original authentic stamping from assembly line and not a re-stamp. In many states re-stamping the VIN on ANY vehicle part is illegal/felony (VIN on body has a different set of rules when it comes to restorations), and I just did a 1964 Corvette last week that definitely had a re-stamped VIN on the engine.

[This message has been edited by Skybax (edited 02-15-2022).]

Skybax FEB 15, 06:47 PM

quote
Originally posted by PhatMax:

Yeah it wouldn’t be fun getting a camera in there. It’s right above the oil filter. I think the coolant crossover pipe plus a heat shield and possibly the ac comp is in the way..



Definitely, just like an old Ford V8 where the casting number is behind the starter, but there are tricks to get it on camera despite the limited accessibility. I had to do a Boss 302 a few weeks ago using this trick below... (and somebody scratched out the VIN stamping with a dremel, the owner/buyer was not happy camper).

I would try using a small bright flashlight on an angle parallel with the block, that way the light "grabs" the top edges of the numbers, and photograph it with your phone in your other hand (you could also tape the small flashlight to something if you need both hands). Its tricky but I do it all the time, try different angles, and just remember you need strong concentrated directional light and not a ordinary shop light, and you have to be somewhat of a contortionist, lol.

[This message has been edited by Skybax (edited 02-15-2022).]

reinhart FEB 16, 12:04 AM

quote
Originally posted by Skybax:


quote
Originally posted by reinhart:
Just use the picture the he posted as your own. They all look the same and they would never know the difference.


That's called fraud, so I wouldn't recommend anyone doing that. My occupation is fraud investigating on vintage cars, trust me, you are better off doing it the right way to avoid having the car confiscated, in the U.S. or France or Other.




If his block has the same number, then there's no need to reinvent the wheel by tearing the car apart to get a pristine picture of the same thing he already has access to (a clear picture of that block). It's not fraud, it's the same block and part number. If the government bureaucrats want to get under his car and check, they'll see the same part number. They're just trying to verify he has an authentic Fiero engine, and if he does, he does. If he had a non Fiero engine and was trying to pretend it's a Fiero engine you may have a point.

[This message has been edited by reinhart (edited 02-16-2022).]

LeoLeChat FEB 16, 03:43 AM
Hello Everyone,

Good news !

The administration told me that an engine picture is going to be enough in my case. I guess that having the Fiero Engine Cover locked on the engine is enough to prove that the engine is stock or swaped by something that is allowed.

I will tell you once I got my papers done, it's going to take 2 to 4 months .. :L

If you're french and want to get your "Carte Grise de Collection" but you're struggling with "Le Numéro Moteur" (engine number), ask the FFVE first : attestations@ffve.org

Thanks a lot everyone
fierofool FEB 16, 12:43 PM
If a picture of the engine with the Fiero intake is sufficient, that leaves room for a 3.1 or 3.4 engine upgrade. That's good news.

Looks like one might be able to access the casting number and displacement by removing the oil filter. On 85-87 models, the torque strut might be in the way, too.
olejoedad FEB 16, 04:38 PM
The engine VIN is easily visible on the flange for the bellhousing, above the starter.

It's not on the vertical surface, it's on the angled surface,and not on a machined face.
Skybax FEB 17, 09:33 AM

quote
Originally posted by reinhart:
If his block has the same number, then there's no need to reinvent the wheel by tearing the car apart to get a pristine picture of the same thing he already has access to (a clear picture of that block). It's not fraud, it's the same block and part number.



That IS the definition of fraud (claiming you took a photo of your engine when in fact you used a photo off the internet of a different engine).